Electrocompaniet owners

Tok, I reread your posts again, and feel a bit less defensive now, as I see that your intent is less personal than I felt the first time I perused them....
You strongly feel that the EMC-1 is very overpriced. At $5500 I may agree, as the Euro list is $3300, and upgrades as well are about 60% of North America. To some extent the inefficiency of selling internationally requires expensive middlemen (distributors) and extra handling. I was shocked to see what Wadia sells for in the UK, for example. Or my beloved Pass Labs stuff.
I do NOT share your perspective on blaming EC for the cost of their products here. I'll be generous and state that they probably don't DEEPLY discount to distributors (vis a vis Euro-dealers), so US list prices catapult upward. They simply don't care to "buy" the American market. Distributors and dealers each want healthy margins for luxury products, so we end up with $5500 prices.
I'm much more concerned with cost/performance relative valuations with PCs, ICs and speaker cables than with 20kg
high-tech components.
EC properly chose to NOT ask for non-disclosure from me, and thus remain compromised in the view of many A'goners.
They are acting honorably, professionally (they DID charge me!), and are addressing their aftermarket service practices.
I see no negative downwind effect for them or for me. And see no reason why there should be.

Ernie, believe what you wish. You are personally involved in this endeavor. Plus you love your EC CDP. These two facts gives me pause to consider your perspective slanted. I am trying to look at this from a neutral perspective. BTW: Euro list of the player when the EMC-1 mk2 first came out was $2k US. I know this because I have a friend who got one over in Denmark when they first came out. Pause and consider that for a sec.

I have no animosity towards you, but if I had any EC gear, I would sell it in a heartbeat. I am glad that you got your situation resolved, but I think you crossed the line when you posted specific prices online. As much as I value that information, if it were me, I would have had a bit more discretion. Call me old fashioned, but if you noticed, when I have a beef with someone and I take it online, I do not name names. Proof of this can be seen on a thread I did a while back:

http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?ymisc&1036622016&openusid&zzTok20000&4&5#Tok20000

Anyway, Ernie, your posts here at Audiogon will have repercussions (some will be negative) for both yourself and EC. If you doubt this, just wait until the next upgrade comes out for the EC player. What will you do? Go to the distributor who you drug through the mud online? Go directly to EC again? You put yourself in a tough postition. But who knows? EC could really like you and give you the next upgrade for their cost as well... I do not know what will happen, but your posts here at Audiogon will effect transactions you will do in the future. This does not even cover the unlikely event you decide to sell your player.....

Anyway, I am done with this thread.

So good luck!

KF

Tok, Pee in the sandbox and run, eh? To state that I "drug" (sp) the distributor through the mud" is preposterous. Didn't you read what happened? The MkII NorthAmerican/Euro costs were $4000/$2300 just before the DAC was announced, then went to $5000/$2800-equivalent with the DAC announcement, and to $5500/$3200 with the "UP" grade, for info to all concerned. I repeat that EC chose to SELL me the parts for an upgrade, probably at normal spare parts markup. Why can't you see the facts here clearly, like apparently everyone else? I'd really appreciate it if you could rewind, review, and stop blaming the messenger.
Sigh....

Subaruguru as a member of Audiogon you owe us the truth and you delivered. Anything but and you would have been just like the companies that can't explain things or do not want you to look inside their stuff because you would find out just what we paid all the money for. Everything in the high end is pretty much a rip off or close to it and as members of the hobby we know that. I am glad EC at least did this for you. Tok has his own opinion and so be it. Ernie , you did the right thing. Amen!

Ernie, while I wish you the best of luck, my only concern is if the parts are up to spec. Most of us don't have the necessary equipment to test them.